Ruth 4: The Bethlehem Story, Part 2

Up until the book of Ruth, Bethlehem (‘house of bread’) has been known mostly as a small town located 5 miles south of Jerusalem. Salma, the son of Caleb is called the ‘Father of Bethlehem’ (1 Chron 2:51), and as we saw last week, Benjamin was born there, and his mother Rachel died there (Gen 35).

After their years in Egypt and some time wandering in the desert, God ushered his people into the ‘Promised Land.’ God himself was their King, and he raised up various judges to ward off enemies (such as Moab) and keep Israel from compromising their allegiance to God alone. Read about how God raised up Ehud (the left-handed judge) to deliver Israel from Eglon, king of Moab (Judges 3). Read about how the people of Moab tried to tempt Israel to reject Yahweh (Numbers 25).

Naomi (‘Lovely, pleasant’) and her husband Elimelech (‘God is king’) are from Bethlehem. A famine at the ‘House of Bread’ chases Naomi and Elimelech 50 rugged miles into Moab (enemy) territory. What is God doing in Bethlehem when our deepest sorrows go from bad to worse? What is he doing when all our dreams die a sad death? Let’s take a look.

Because God is at work for the good of his people in the darkest of days, note…
1. Naomi’s Bethlehem pain. (1:1-7)
2. Ruth’s Bethlehem courage. (1:16-18)
3. Boaz’s Bethlehem redemption. (4:7-12)
4. God’s Bethlehem grace. (4:13-17)